It’s a no-brainer. They need someone who is pacey, and that’s so important in the modern game.

Sturridge is probably always going to be quite brittle when it comes to fitness, so we need someone who is going to take the burden off him.

But I don’t think the possibility of Sturridge facing a spell on the sidelines solves a problem for Brendan Rodgers.

I would always play Sturridge if he is fit. He is our best striker, and against Manchester United he didn’t get any service but still managed to score a goal.

He gives you so much in terms of what the opposition have to do to cope with him. We don’t have another player like him.

We all know that when a player comes back from a long spell out injured, he gets through on adrenaline early on and then they feel as though they are running through treacle.

I know. I’ve been there. And there’s nothing you can do but stick with them, because even if you drop them, they still have to get those games out of their system.

Raheem Sterling will probably be pushed up front should Sturridge be absent, and whatever you think about him he still has a lot of work to do before he becomes a regular goalscorer.

Sterling came in for some stick in the defeat to United. And while he wasn’t the only one who didn’t play well, he can expect more criticism until his contract is sorted one way or another.

Agents go into talks and try to impress clubs they are getting Maradona, Cruyff and Pele all rolled into one.

But all this talk of Sterling going to Barcelona or Real Madrid is just daft. He’s not ready and neither of those two teams will take him right now.

He still has a lot to do, and he has to prove he can perform in the Champions League on a regular basis.

I’m not one of those who believes Liverpool should change formation after the defeat to United.

We didn’t play well, we were too deep and Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson literally sat in front of the back three when only Wayne Rooney was around there for much of the time.

United played well enough to win but they weren’t top class. We didn’t get a tackle in and we didn’t get close enough to them. We made it easy.

Okay, it’s only three points but such is the table and the proximity of United, it means the trip to Arsenal now becomes a game we cannot afford to lose.

Charity match underlines why Liverpool are a special club

The All-Star charity game promises to be a fantastic occasion at Anfield.

And one of the reasons why it will be a great day is because it will give some players a chance to say goodbye to the Liverpool fans – and vice-versa.The atmosphere should be memorable. There will be lots of families there, and let’s be honest, nobody is going there to watch the match itself – they are going there to see the players for one more time.

Once you play for Liverpool, you are forever known as a Liverpool player.

Whether you play one game, for one year, five years or 10, you appreciate the supporters and the part they play.

More often that not, when you get a call to appear in a Liverpool benefit match, you say yes, even if you are old, decrepit and can only run around on one leg.

There’s a relationship between the players – whether they were deemed good, bad or indifferent – and the fans.

Without wanting to make a meal of it, Liverpool are a special club for all sorts of reasons, and not necessarily because of the history and their record of trophy-winning and all that.

It’s like it the club has a life of its own.

It says a lot about the respect both Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher have in football that there are so many top names turning up.

And if you asked the likes of Thierry Henry whether they’d want to have played for Liverpool at some point, they’d say yes.

They understand our fans are very knowledgeable and you don’t have to buy them all flags to generate an atmosphere. They bring their own.

England just makes us all dream of top flight again

If there’s one thing the long-winded Euro 2016 qualifiers prompt, it is a yearning for the Premier League.

There’s two weeks between games and, for the media, that can be a bit of a problem.

They have the same airtime to fill and the same spaces to fill in their newspapers, so a lot of non-stories start to emerge.

I mean, I’ve had enough of Harry Kane already.

If we believe everything we’ve read over the past week, the Tottenham striker will be good enough to win the Champions League all by himself next season.

The switch to playing qualifiers on a Thursday and Friday and having no games after Tuesday has worked well the club sides, who get their players back a day earlier.

But it does feel like forever in between Premier League games.

With this being a double-header break and many teams playing friendlies as their second match, some of the more clever managers will release players after the first game to allow others to have a chance.

It will also give those players the chance for a well-earned rest, certainly at this stage of the season.